TechieHux

absolutecreed:

It was almost…odd seeing him like this.

Kylo Ren, the Master of the Knights of Ren…struck down with a sickness.

Hux didn’t even know it was possible for Ren to get sick, with him having the Force and whatnot. But despite him having the kriffing Force, he was only human–and humans got sick.

He’d done the stupid thing (though Hux knew he was the pot calling the kettle black, as he’d done the same thing as well), and tried to work through his sickness, until it finally took him down. He had stalked onto the bridge, and he and Ren had their usual arguements. But when Ren spun on his heel to turn away, he wobbled. He managed to make two unsteady steps towards the door, before collapsing in a black heap.

Motionless.

Once the stunned shock faded, someone finally called medical, and Kylo Ren was whisked away to the medbay. Hux found himself following. Why not? While Ren was a man-child who threw tantrums at every opportunity, he was still his co-commander. He needed to see if he had to issue a quarantine or if this was just an illness bound to the Knight of Ren.

Turns out, while what he had was mildly contagious, it wasn’t enough to keep him in the medbay. Though Hux suspected they didn’t want Ren waking up in the medbay and wrecking it, for the umpteenth time. Even the medical droids were being skittish around the unconscious Ren, giving him a few injections, and hooking him up to a mobile IV, which was giving him fluids and vitamins.

With that done, Hux followed them as they transported Ren to his quarters…only to find them a mess. In some delirious fit (or maybe just a normal tantrum, Hux didn’t know), he’d taken his lightsaber and slashed not only his walls, but his bed. Only scorched remains were left; he’d completely trashed it. He didn’t even have a sofa in the sparsely decorated room.

Hux decided then to have Ren transferred to his quarters. He’d keep an eye on him there, and work as well. He’d be able to tell the medbay if anything changed with him easy enough.

And that’s where he found himself now.

Hux had pulled up a chair by Ren’s bedside, and worked from his data pad. The man barely moved, other than his slightly uneven breathing. Hux found himself pulling off his glove and laying it gently against Ren’s forehead. He nearly jerked it back, feeling how warm his skin was. The Knight of Ren was normally warm (he was practically a walking heater, for kriff’s sake), but this…was unnatural, even for him.

Setting his data pad aside, Hux went into his ‘fresher and soaked a washcloth with cool water. He recalled Rae Sloane doing the same thing for him, when he got sick under her care. The memory brought a rare smile to his face, as he wrung out the cloth, coming back into his room. Ren had shifted slightly, but not by much. He was still sweating, even though his robes had been removed, and he was in a pair of loose pants and a sleeveless shirt. How the medbay found those clothes, that fit someone his size perfectly, was beyond him.

Just as he set the cool washcloth on Ren’s forehead, his eyes snapped open with a gasp, and a hand lashed out, grabbing Hux’s wrist in an almost crushing grip. He shouldn’t have this much strength, for one so riddled with fever. Still, Hux couldn’t help but let out a soft hiss of pain, feeling his poor wrist being crushed by Ren’s grip.

“Relax.” he ground out, looking over at Ren who was staring at him with wide, unfocused eyes. For a split moment of fear, he thought he was going to get tossed against the opposite wall, being thought of as an enemy. Instead, Ren’s gaze softened a little, his eyes still unfocused. Yet his grip around Hux’s wrist didn’t slacken, “You passed out, you kriffing idiot. You’re sick. High fever. You’re in my quarters, because you trashed yours. Great job, by the way.”

“Yours…” Ren croaked out, slowly relaxing. Though, judging by the way his eyes were fluttering, he was losing his fight with sleep, “Sick….oh…right…I was…”

Finally his hand fell away from Hux’s wrist, who couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh of relief, as he adjusted the cool washcloth on his forehead, “Rest. You need it. I’m here, if you need anything.”

As he pulled back, he saw that Ren’s eyes were closed once again, his features passive. And that made Hux pause a bit. He’d been so used to seeing Ren with that damned mask, that it was very strange to see him without it. His features were too boyish for a brute like him. Full lips, prominent nose, wavy soft hair, and warn brown eyes that practically bared his soul….

Hux realized he was staring, and blushed darkly, quickly sitting back down in the chair next to the bed. He knew he shouldn’t stay so close to him, not with him being sick and all. He knew he was going to catch whatever Ren had, he just knew it. But…in the meantime…at least he knew where he was. He knew Hux was here. He didn’t want to know how Ren would react, if he found himself alone…

He jumped, as Ren made a soft noise. Thinking he woke up, he glanced over at him, only to see his passive features twisted into something uncomfortable, as he shifted about the bed. Large hands grasped at the covers, his noises turning more into whimpers and whines. Hux knew too well what this was–a nightmare. A fever-induced nightmare. …Which were some of the worst…

Unsure of what to do, he set his data pad aside before hesitantly reaching out and running his fingers through Ren’s hair. He recalled Sloane doing the same for him, when he had those delirious nightmares. A simple action, but it worked wonders on him. And her soothing voice seemed to cut through the nightmare, like a heated knife through butter. He wasn’t sure if his voice was soothing to Ren, but it was worth a shot…

“Relax…it’s just a dream…” he said softly, letting his fingers stroke along Ren’s hair slowly, rhythmically, “You’re safe…It’s okay…i’m here…Nothing can get you…It’s alright…”

He continued speaking soothingly to Ren, until he finally calmed down. Hux could hardly believe it. He couldn’t believe that had worked on this overgrown manchild. And yet, here he was, no longer tossing and turning in delirious discomfort.

But just as he pulled his hand away, Ren started to whine softly. Hux put his fingers back in Ren’s hair for a few moments, before pulling away again. Another whimper, that was only silenced when Hux’s hand returned to his head. He sighed…but he couldn’t help but smile softly at him, as he gathered his data pad back up. He could work with one hand, easy enough.

“…Rest well, Ren…” he said softly, stroking his hair, as he worked on reports on his data pad.

He missed the soft, content smile on Ren’s face.